Colin Trevorrow Announces He's Donating His 'The Rise Of Skywalker' Residuals To Charity

By: Dominic Jones

Even though he didn't actually get to direct a Star Wars film, Colin Trevorrow is showing that he has the spirit of a true Jedi.  The Jurrasic World director, who was originally slated to direct Episode IX but was removed from the project in the summer of 2017, announced in a statement to Deadline that he would be donating all the residuals he received for his work on the film to the Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice. 

Trevorrow told Deadline,

"Through his films, George Lucas taught us about our connection to all living things. He taught us to take care of one another, and he set a powerful example himself. The Alexander Devine Hospice helps families in the most challenging of times. I can’t think of a more fitting way to honor George’s legacy."

Trevorrow will be receiving residuals from The Rise of Skywalker because he will still be receiving, along with his co-writer Derek Connolly, a "Story By" credit on the film.  Writing credits are dictated by the Writers Guild of America, and are based on the amount any writer contributed to the final film. So clearly JJ Abrams and Chris Terio, the film's final screenwriters, kept enough of what Trevorrow and Connolly worked on for them get credits.

Trevorrow spoke about getting a "Story By" credit on the film in a recent interview with Empire Magazine.  "I’m grateful to JJ [Abrams] for embracing some of our ideas," he said. "It’s exciting that fans will get to see the moments that felt essential to all of us."

While he wouldn't say what those essential moments were (for obvious reasons), he did share one idea that definitely wasn't his. "Bringing back the Emperor was an idea JJ brought to the table when he came on board," Trevorrow revealed. "It’s honestly something I never considered. I commend him for it. This was a tough story to unlock, and he found the key."

This statement from Trevorrow does seem to contradict Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy's statement that bringing back Palpatine was always the plan for the sequel trilogy.  Perhaps this is one of those ideas that Abrams had for the subsequent films in the trilogy while working on The Force Awakens that his successors Rian Johnson (The Last Jedi) and Trevorrow were free to use or not.

Trevorrow was more willing to talk openly about his contribution to The Last Jedi.  Back in 2017, before the film had come out, Johnson revealed that he had shot an extra scene for his film at the request of Trevorrow, though he wouldn't say which.  "I just asked Rian if he could include a little moment where Rey and Poe meet for the first time," Trevorrow told Empire. "They’re such beloved characters, it felt right for them to have some history in the next movie. I thought the way he did it was perfect."

Trevorrow's influence on Star Wars can also be felt at Galaxy's Edge, the recently opened theme park expansion at Disneyland in California and Disney World in Florida.  The TIE Echelon, which can be found in the First Order area of both parks and features in the short stage show with Kylo Ren, was designed by Trevorrow and his team while they were working on Episode IX.  The hope was at the time to have some fun synergy between the park and the new film, although Trevorrow's departure may have squashed that.

Plenty of good will be done with Trevorrow's donation of his residuals. Fiona Devine, CEO and co-founder of the Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice told Deadline,

"We are blown away by this incredibly generous gesture and we are deeply thankful to Colin for thinking of us. This extraordinary donation, the equivalent of paying for a nurse for a year, will really help us to continue to do this and importantly reach out to even more families that need us. We know that there are at least 1,200 children across Berkshire and the surrounding counties that need our help."

Trevorrow's next film is the upcoming third Jurassic World film, slated for release in 2021.

If you haven't seen the final for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker yet (or want to watch it again), you can do so below,

Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters on December 20th, 2019.  The film is directed by JJ Abrams, with a script by Abrams and Chris Terio, and stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Kelly Marie Tran, Mark Hamill, Billy Dee Williams, Keri Russell, Richard E. Grant, Naomi Ackie, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie Fisher.

Sources: Deadline, Empire

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